James Leith

James Leith (8 August 1763-16 October 1816) was a Lieutenant-General of the British Army during the Peninsular War, commanding a division in the army of Viscount Wellington.

Biography
James Leith was born in Kennethmont, Scotland on 8 August 1763, and he studied at Marischal College before joining the British Army. He served as aide-de-camp to General Charles O'Hara, who commanded the Royal Navy garrison of Toulon in southern France. In 1794, he returned home after the French reconquered Toulon, and he commanded a regiment during the suppression of the Irish uprising in 1798. In 1808, he was promoted to Major-General, and he was sent to Spain with General John Moore that same year during the Peninsular War. Leith fought at Corunna and at Walcheren, and he led a division in Viscount Wellington's army when Wellington arrived in the Iberian Peninsula. In 1812, his division played a key role in the storming of Badajoz, and his division also played a major role in the Battle of Salamanca, during which he was wounded. In 1813, he left Spain after being wounded at San Sebastian, and he was sent to govern the Leeward Islands. In August 1815, even after Napoleon I's surrender, Leith led an army of British and Royalist troops to occupy Guadeloupe, forcing the Bonapartists to surrender. He died of yellow fever in Barbados in 1816 at the age of 53.